A History Lesson with Booze: Astor Place Riots and the “Cobbler Rouge”
This week back in 1849, New Yorkers rioted…over Shakespearean acting. Learn about Edwin Forrest, William Charles Macready and the brawl they spawned… and then smash down a custom, era-appropriate cocktail from a Broadway bar.

“Cobbler Rouge,” as performed by Frank Caiafa, bar manager at The Vault at Pfaff’s – a handsome cellar bar just a few blocks from the site of the original riot:

Into a shaker, add:

Quarter of fresh peach, cubed (small handful)
1/2 oz. simple syrup
2 dashes of orange or peach bitters
1 oz. Red Bordeaux wine (“Claret” to the Brits)
2 1/4 oz. Hudson Four Grain Bourbon (the all-American part)
Add ice and give it a hard and riotous shake. Strain into a freshly iced goblet – ideally a “Hawthorne House” glass. Add fresh mint as garnish (after slapping the mint against your hands for a bit to “wake it up”). Top with powdered sugar. Drink it down and leave the drama behind.

Guest List: Leigh Bardugo
Just a few weeks back, Dreamworks acquired the movie rights to author Leigh Bardugo debut novel “Shadow and Bone,” to be produced by the guy behind the Harry Potter films. It’s set in a unique, fictional world inspired by Tsarist Russia. Here’s Leigh to tell us about it…and to list some of her other favorite fantasy worlds:

Guest of Honor: Martin Amis
London’s Times newspaper named Martin Amis one of the 50 greatest postwar British authors. Included amongst his 12 novels are the modern classics “London Fields” and “The Rachel Papers” — not to mention a meoir, two short story collectoins, and a bunch of nonfiction. His latest novel is “Lionel Asbo: State of England,” which follows a young man and his brutish, sociopathic uncle Lionel… who wins a hundred and forty million pounds in the lottery. Brendan chats with Martin about “yobs,” Nabokov’s living room, and who lets the dogs out.

Eavesdropping: Junot Diaz
Junot Diaz’s debut novel “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” (2007) won him legions of fans… and the Pulitzer Prize. That book follows a Dominican-American boy and his immigrant family in New Jersey…a milieu to which Junot returns for his short story collection “This is How You Lose Her”. We overhear him reading an excerpt from the showstopping finale “The Cheater’s Guide to Love.” (Massachusetts listeners: Catch Junot at the Concord Festival of Authors this Saturday.)

Chattering Class: Miranda July
Before Craigslist and eBay, pulpy handouts like the PennySaver (and of course, the classifieds) made it possible for neighbors to buy, sell, and exchange their stuff. Amazingly, the PennySaver still exists… which is a good thing for writer-director Miranda July. A couple years ago, the newsletter led her on a creative, story-rich odyssey across LA and broke a nasty spell of writer’s block. She teaches Rico about PennySaver protocol, lovable luddites, and other strange (and very cheap) wonders that appear in her latest book It Chooses You. It hit bookstores this week.

Etiquette: LeVar Burton
If Earth ever DID send a delegation to greet an alien planet, we’d nominate LeVar Burton as ambassador-in-chief. The affable actor/producer starred in the award-winning ’70s TV miniseries “Roots” (as Kunta Kinte), and later in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (as the VISOR-equipped Geordi La Forge). But LeVar might be best known as the host and creative force behind “Reading Rainbow,” PBS’ long running children’s series. LeVar tells us about his new venture: turning the show into an interactive iPad APP (released earlier this year)… Then tackles our listeners’ questions about borrowed hardbacks and the vicissitudes of sci-fi nerd-dom.

Main Course: Marcus SamuelssonMarcus Samuelsson is one of the most popular – and busiest – chefs in the country. In the last few years, he won the TV show Top Chef Masters, earned the James Beard Award for culinary excellence, and cooked the first state dinner of the Obama administration. Now, Marcus has published a memoir called “Yes, Chef.” In it he talks about his multinational upbringing and his pro soccer aspirations… but food lovers will dig into scenes of his intense culinary training. Brendan chats with Marcus about tough love amongst top chefs, race in the kitchen, and his latest food find. (For those in Philadelphia who want to dine with Marcus, he’ll be at the First Person Arts Festival next Wednesday, November 7.)

One for the road: Belle and Sebastian – “Wrapped Up In Books”
Indie vets Belle & Sebastian named their band after a 1965 children’s book by Cécile Aubry called Belle et Sébastien. So it’s only appropriate that they write songs about books. “Wrapped Up In Books” has catchy melodies and clever lyrics that will serve as the perfect song to listen to on your way home from the library.

Other Music in this week’s show:

The Sea & Cake – “The Argument”

Aphex Twin – “Boy/Girl Song”

Tipsy – “Liquordelic”

London Festival Orchestra – Beethoven “Symphony #9, 1. Molto vivace”

Lionrock – Don’t Die Foolish

Triumph – Fight The Good Fight

Ramin Djawadi – Game of Thrones Theme

Lou Reed – My Name Is Mok

Joe Hisaishi & Wonder City Orchestra – Howl’s Moving Castle Theme

Baha Men – Who Let The Dogs Out

Damu the Fudgemunk – Gone With The Sunset

Damu the Fudgemunk – You Know Who

Nomo – Patterns

Cal Tjader – Money Penny Goes for Broke

Jimmy Fallon – Reading Rainbow

Nightmare on Wax – Nightmare on Wax

Belle & Sebastian – Wrapped Up In Books

Sponsor

Welcome to the first episode of "Speakeasy," an occasional special podcast in which we share never-before-heard bits that that didn't make it into our weekly episodes. Think of it like the casual little bistro beside our bustling restaurant. On this inaugural podcast, Aubrey Plaza and Brendan invent a new morning beverage - the breakfast martini; Zachary Quinto and Rico discuss the pros and cons of wearing high heels; and Tom Scharpling and Jon Wurster of "The Best Show" propose a novel solution for when you pick up two lids instead of one at a salsa bar. Brendan and Rico also chitchat about upcoming guests, life, and the darkness in men's souls. You know, just light banter.

Actress Aubrey Plaza needs no introduction (because she's got it memorized)... Singer-songwriter Laura Marling has a soundtrack for evenings warm and chilly... Writer Jon Ronson looks at shaming on social media and sees our modern pillory... The comic duo Scharpling & Wurster take our etiquette segment to the strangest of places, which might be a city in Pennsylvania!... A new taste of Hawaiian food -- the ultimate fusion cuisine... Two bitter rivals in polar exploration inspire an icy cocktail...Essayist Meghan Daum ponies up a joke... And more.